My lab headed over to Sweet Cheeks in Fenway to stuff ourselves with BBQ for lunch one day last week. The restaurant was recently opened by Tiffani Faison, who was a finalist on both Top Chef Season 1 and Top Chef All-Stars. You can probably guess that I was pretty excited to check it out!
Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with my pulled pork sandwich. The meat just wasn’t as tender and juicy as the pork at Blue Ribbon, and the sandwich was advertised as being served on Texas Toast, which I always thought was thick slices of garlic bread, but apparently is just normal slices of white bread? I did like that they had a couple different sauce options, and I will definitely be returning to see how Sweet Cheeks’ ribs and brisket stack up at some point. Their sides, however, blew Blue Ribbon’s out of the water. I wanted to dive into the mac & cheese, and my favorite part of the meal actually turned out to be their farm fresh salad. I know, I know, I was surprised too, who would expect a killer salad at a BBQ joint? The greens were tossed with hazelnuts, Brussels sprouts, and grapes, and the combo was perfectly balanced. It was so tasty that I decided I needed to make a salad featuring grapes and Brussels sprouts at home!
I mixed a large bunch of spinach and mixed spring greens in my salad bowl, along with roasted Brussels sprouts, halved grapes, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and a healthy dose of shaved pecorino romano cheese. Then I took portions out throughout the week and dressed it with balsamic vinaigrette as I went along. I even caught Apolinaras dipping into the salad bowl a couple times – if that doesn’t indicate how delicious this is, I don’t know what does. Thanks to Sweet Cheeks for the inspiration!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Grapes
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
8 ounces mixed greens (I used half spring mix and half baby spinach)
2 cups roasted Brussels sprouts
2 cups halved grapes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shaved pecorino romano cheese
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette
Directions:
To assemble the salad, mixed greens, roasted Brussels sprouts, grapes, dried cranberries, pecans, and shaved pecorino romano cheese in a large bowl and toss until well mixed. Evenly distribute on 8 plates and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition: 210 calories, 15.1g fat, 3.9g fiber, 4.5g protein per serving
Cost: $1.45 per serving
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Roasted is definitely favorite way to enjoy brussels sprouts. So I know this salad is super delicious.
I love me some roasted Brussels… but I never would have thought to pair them with grapes. Sounds oddly delicious! I love re-creating restaurant dishes at home =).
This looks like a fantstic winter salad! I love adding brussels sprouts to salads!
I bet grapes and Brussels are a match made in heaven! Definitely making something similar soon!
The ribs are really, really good. Skip the brisket. I also don’t understand why they give you plain white bread. I have a feeling a lot of bread is being wasted there. This salad, on the other hand, was awesome, and I love your re-creation of it!
I’ve never thought of combining brussels sprouts with grapes before – it looks great!
YUM!! just bookmarked–this has some of my favorites and i can totally see grapes working with brussels sprouts!
loved hearing your take on sweet cheeks! I still have to check it out. nice job recreating the salad – brussels sprouts and grapes, who knew?!
How sad that the pulled pork was disappointing! I was expecting more from Tiffani. At least this salad sounds awesome! It’s just the kind of thing I LOVE to have for lunch. I’m sure I’ll be recreating it soon.
Texas Toast is NOT plain white sandwhich bread! It’s thick sliced, toasted white sandwhich bread, typically it will have butter and garlic, sometimes just garlic, but is always toasted! How disappointing. Many resturants in Texas and Oklahoma DO serve plain, untoasted, unseasoned sandwhich bread with their bbq (to “mop” up the sauce) but they don’t call that texas toast.
This is SUCH a beautiful salad. I love roasted brussels sprouts, but never thought to pair them with grapes. I bet it’s awesome!
aww, i can’t believe the pulled pork wasn’t delish
haven’t made it over there yet, but i’d almost rather just make this salad 
Oh wow. I think I know what’s getting added to our salads next week!
Looks nice and healthy. I love brussels sprouts.
Brussels Sprouts = clearly a thing I need to incorporate into my diet far more often. So versatile!
Looks delish! I’ve been going crazy with brussel sprouts recently, and this dish looks unique and super tasty. As always, thank you!
When I go to BBQ places, for me, it’s all about the sides! This salad sounds fantastic. Love the idea of grapes with brussels sprouts.
Thanks everyone!
Lauren – Me too, I love the inspiration
Megan – Thanks for the ribs recommendation – I will definitely try them next time
I was also sad that they don’t serve biscuits at lunch. I looove biscuits and Bianca said they were good in her review, so I need to go for dinner next time!
Amanda – That’s what I thought! It was plan white sandwich bread, like Wonder Bread – totally not what I expected…
Love this, I’ve always been a fan of brussels sprouts but roasted and topping a salad looks amazing!